Despite stakeholders calls on Nigerian government at all levels to pay more attention to the housing sector as it remains one of primary needs of mankind as well as major driver of a prosperous economy of any nation, much has not been done in that regard.
Although, the government has come up with some beautiful policy frame work and established agencies like Family Homes Fund (FHF), Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) amongst others to further boost housing delivery nationwide; proper budgetary allocation to these agencies will go a long way in enabling them achieve their mandates.
With about 20 million housing deficits, experts are of the view that the government must create an enabling environment, collaborates, supports and encourages public – private partnership to deliver massive houses to fast tract the delivery of the much needed homes for Nigerians.
The state governments have been blamed for the slow pace of affordable housing deliveries despite huge yearly budgetary allocations to their housing ministries.
Africanhousingnews.com state by state housing performance survey reveals that states like Lagos, Enugu, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Kano, Ogun and Ebonyi are doing very well in the areas of housing development.
Our investigations of each state performance is listed below:
Lagos state: Lagos as the commercial nerve of the nation under Governor Babajide San-wolu is doing a great job in the areas of housing provision as well as housing policy formulation to regulate and improve the state housing sector. The state government recently announced the completion of about 712 new homes through a partnership with private investors.
With N33.952 billion budgeted for housing and community amenities in 2021, Lagos state recently added a total of 244 homes in two schemes, notably Courtland Luxury Villas, Igbokushu, and Lekki Apartments which were delivered through private sector collaboration in May 2020.
The state also commissioned recently a joint venture housing scheme located at Iponri, Lekki Phase II, and Idale, Badagry, with a total of 468 home units of various types.
Borno state governor under the leadership of Prof (Engr) Babagana Zulum is prioritising housing despite the prevailing insurgency in the state. He has built houses for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and rebuilt some of the properties destroyed by the insurgents. In Borno, the state government had pledged to build 210, 000 housing units to bridge the accommodation shortages in the state.
The Governor disclosed this at the foundation laying ceremony for the construction of 500 houses in the state, said urban dwellers will get 10,000 houses, while 200, 000 units would be constructed for the rural residents.
The state is also planning to build 4000 housing units across the state for the Internally displaced persons (IDPs) and civil servants following escalation of the Boko Haram insurgency which has caused insecurity and massive displacement of the residents.
Zulum said the essence of the construction is to return the IDPs back to their ancestral homes and give them livelihood support to enable them continue their normal life in their communities.
He also disclosed that the State Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RRR) would be constructing 500 housing units at Auno, adding that the government will invest US $14m towards the project.
The project will feature construction of 400 two-bedroom apartments and 100 one-bedroom apartments. The state is also building another 300 housing units along the Damaturu road close to the state university.
Yobe state is also raising the bar in the area of housing delivery as many housing projects are being built by Governor Mala Buni -led administration. He has been building houses for the state`s workers at subsidized rate.
Adamawa state is also a state that prioritises housing development as efforts are being channelled into building affordable homes for its citizenry by governor Umaru Fintiri.
Kano state has done well in committing funds into housing construction and is rated among the states that give the housing sector due attention. The Ganduje -led administration has gone into several partnerships with the Federal Mortgage Bank (FMBN) to achieve its housing delivery target.
Ebonyi state is also doing well, but the minus is that the state governor Dave Umahi is more concerned with commercial building than the much –demanded residential where the people of the state can lay their heads.
Delta state governor Ifeanyi Okowa is listed among the state governors that is doing well in the area of housing delivery. There are many new estates that have sprung up since his assumption of office as the state governor.
Edo state also ranks among the state that are doing well in housing development. With the recent re- election of Godwin Obaseki, hopes are high that he would increase the tempo in housing development not only in Benin but all over the state. On the coming on board of the governor, he restructured the Edo state property development company, brought in the private sector with experience to manage the place. The state is in collaboration with mistaAfrica in developing some housing projects in the state.
Benue state under the leadership of Governor Samuel Ortom has been on the low ebb in housing development, until recently, when the state re -awoke to the necessary housing development, which was one of his cardinal campaign promises to the people of the state. The state recently indicated interest to partner with private developers in the area of affordable housing development. But, the Mou up till now has not been signed, so the taken-off of the project has not actually commenced. The state has Benue state housing corporation, but this has not been effectively put into use to deliver houses in the state. Ortom manages to scale the hurdles to be among the performing governors in housing development.
Cross River has two housing ministries: the one for social housing and the one for housing development. During the beginning of the tenure of the present governor of the state much was done by him in the area of housing, but since Governor Ben Ayade came on board for the second tenure, he has relented in the area of housing development.
Akwa Ibom state is not doing well in the area of housing, even though, it has a full fledged ministry of housing. Many expected the state to have done well in the area of housing in view of the huge allocation they are getting from the federal account monthly. Governor Udom Emmanuel should step up his act to put the oil- rich state in the category of housing performing states.
Bayelsa state new governor Douye Diri has repositioned the state owned housing corporation. Though, it is too early, to predict whether he will do well, but with the restructuring of the state housing corporation, it confirms the governor`s interest in the area of housing development.
Imo state government has not done any concrete thing in the area of affordable housing construction, the state government has been talking of partnering with some real estate developers, but as of today, it has not been done.
Abia state has also not done well in housing delivery. Most of the houses in the state were the ones built by the previous administration. During the first tenure of the present governor, he only collaborated with some private sector who are in the real estate. But since Governor Victor Ikpeazu came on board for the second term, nothing can be said to be his achievement in the area of housing.
Anambra state is working in terms of housing delivery. The state has been partnering with 2-3 estate developers. The state governor, Willie Obiano, who is about to complete his years in office needs to do more in housing development in order to leave a befitting legacy as housing friendly governor at the end of his tenure.
Ondo state- not much is known to be the achievement of governor Rotimi Akeredolu in affordable housing delivery, even though, the state has a state owned housing corporation which is expected to be in charge of housing provision. It also has a full-fledged ministry of housing. It is our hope that he will use his second term in office to create jobs through delivery of affordable housing.
Katsina state is one of the poor performers in the aspect of housing construction. The governor has been busy fighting the banditry menace in the state at the detriment of developmental projects. Governor Aminu Masari is expected to give due attention to housing construction in a state prestigious as the state of president Muhammadu Buhari.
Rivers state government is a low rated state in the area of housing delivery, though, the Nyesom Wike led -administration has done well in constructing bridges and roads. Apart from the houses he recently built for judges in the state, much has not been heard about housing development in the state.
Ekiti state under governor Kayode Fayemi have been making promises of delivering houses and bringing investors to provide houses to the people of the state. It has also passed into law the foreclosure of Deed. So, what everyone is waiting for now is to begin to see the construction of these houses. Since much have been said, it is expected that as we entered this year, he should match words with action.
Taraba state under the leadership of Governor Darius Ishaku is doing as well as far as housing construction is concerned. Darius, an Architect, has delivered 5000 housing units to the people of the state.
Most of the housing estate projects is in partnership with the Federal Mortgage Bank.
Kwara state under the leadership of governor Abdurahmah Abdurazaq is not getting its act right in housing delivery in the state. Checks show that not much has been achieved in that regard. Apart from the recent allocation of hectares of land to the Family Homes Fund (FHF) for the construction of affordable houses in the state, nothing concreate has been done by the state government in housing its citizenry.
In Oyo state, where Governor Seyi Makinde promised to make provision of houses, a top priority, no single house has been delivered by the state government.
Makinde had promised to “facilitate private sector-driven housing delivery through variants of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives.
However, up till now, the state is yet to commence implementation. Though, it was gathered that some projects are going on, as it stands, no single project has been completed.
In September 2020, the state’s Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Rahman Abdulraheem said that apart from existing Government Reserved Areas, (GRAs) government was coming up with about four or more GRAs before the end of the year.
About three of them, he said, would be at Akinyele axis because of railway track coming from Lagos to link the Dry Port to Ibadan.
But the Chairman, Oyo State Housing Corporation, Chief Bayo Lawal, said the corporation is partnering with many private investors to deliver on its mandate.
One of such, he said was the on going 360 housing units at Ajoda, in Egbeda local council. He said that 45 housing units are currently under construction in Bodija, while some local councils, like Saki West are collaborating with the corporation in the provision of housing to the people.
According to him, there is also a PPP arrangement at Ejioku in Lagelu local council while discussion is at advanced stage on another PPP scheme at Oyo.
He said the corporation has almost completed arrangement to allocate 1000 plots to interested members of the public at highly subsidised rate while the Omituntun scheme will also be made available within the shortest possible time.
Bauchi state is among the states doing well in housing development. The state governor Bala Mohammed has said that Bauchi metropolis would get 1500 housing units, Azare town in Katagum LGA to get 350, Misau 250; Ningi 200; Jama’are100; while Dass is to get 100 housing units.
According to the government, the project would run concurrently and simultaneously to be completed within 12 months as 30 per cent of the cost has been paid to the contractors while subsequent payments would be done as the project progresses.
In Gombe, provision of houses has remained a challenge in Gombe. Commissioner for Housing and Urban development, Adamu Dishi Kupto, regretted that successive governments couldn’t equip the ministry to be able to handle issues as common as housing.
He stressed that the present government has evolved a plan to solve the housing problem by building houses in all the 114 electoral wards.
He said it will provide accommodation for civil servants, especially health workers and primary and secondary school teachers posted to rural areas, thereby ensuring urban-rural drift and discouraging rural-urban migration.
As lofty and commendable as that sounds, the outbreak of COVID-19 shattered the dream of “10 houses in each ward,” he added.
However, challenges ranging from undue political interference, misplaced priorities, poor implementation and non-execution of public housing programmes has been given as reasons for this dismal performance in housing delivery. For example, there are no cash release to some of these state housing ministries, even after they have been captured in the budgets.
A government source said the practice has been a norm and has become a bane to planning, including housing delivery.
